A Second Chance at Peace
by 4everindscripts
Summary: Tony contemplates peace in the quiet of the night, after Steve and the others have left him to his peaceful life. But has he truly made peace with the new world Thanos has put them in? Just a little introspective fic connecting a scene from Endgame to a scene in Iron Man (Yes, the first movie), borne out of wirter's block. Major spoilers for Infinity War, mild spoilers for Endgame.


**A Second Chance at Peace**

Tony let the water, suds and the repetitive task of washing the dishes calm him as he said his good night to Pepper. He watched as the last of his tense thoughts from the rattling day drained with the water. Who would've thought dishwashing would be so calming? Certainly not Tony Stark, that was for sure.

In truth he hadn't felt like Tony Stark for a long time now. That part of him, it seemed, had turned to dust with the rest of half the world. Here he was only Tony. Or Daddy. That was all he needed to be now.

He put away the last clean cup. It clinked against something else that caught Tony's attention. His still swirling thoughts seemed to focus on a single point as he pulled the frame from the back of the shelf. The kid's goofy smile.

That goofy kid. Before Morgan, before his dreams about having her, before he and Pepper finally landed on that big you-make-me-crazy-but-there's-no-one-else-for-me decision. Before all _this_, Peter Parker had swung into his life. Granted, Tony had been on the lookout for him. Nick Fury wasn't the only one who could find and keep tabs on "special" individuals. But Tony hadn't expected to be dumped with a kid. An _actual_ kid, who had a lot of growing up to do. Who reminded Tony of himself when he'd been young, idealistic and cocky. Except this kid's heart was already in the right place. And damn if Tony didn't want to make sure it stayed there.

His eyes shifted to the peace signs over their heads.

_"Please, no gang signs," he remembered saying and the soldier hesitated. "No, throw it up. I'm kidding. I love peace. I'd be out of a job with peace." _

_Then the world exploded. _

In more ways than one. And that moment remained vivid in Tony's memory. _"I'd be out of a job with peace," _he'd said. It had been a joke but it had also been true. Until one young man died because of Tony Stark, the world's best weapons maker. Yinsen had told him shortly after not to waste the new lease on life he'd been given, and Tony Stark had been determined to make damn sure he didn't. His job had become making sure others had peace.

Then another young man, who just wanted peace, had died. And Tony had been there again. He had disappeared before his eyes. Because Tony Stark had failed. He'd let Yinsen down. He'd failed the young soldier he'd sworn to avenge. Tony hadn't been enough.

But now he had peace. And they were gone, but not at peace, were they?

_"This is a second chance,"_ Steve's words echoed in his head.

_Not if it doesn't work,_ Tony thought.

Something sparked in his brain. The little _what if_ that had been swirling around in his head since Steve and the others had come by. Only now it wasn't a chaotic mesh of numbers, equations, and questions upon questions sparked by curiosity. This spark was something else. Hope. The best chance they all had at a second chance.

Tony knew it wouldn't leave him alone, wouldn't give him peace tonight. With a flick of his wrist he brought up the holographic interface of his computer and got to work, clinging to that little spark of hope that had wedged itself in his heart, replacing the peace he'd long ago made with himself and his ghosts.

* * *

**A/N: So the first Iron Man movie was playing on TV and I saw that scene again with the solider and the peace sign and I remembered that Peter And Tony had peace signs in the picture in Endgame. So that got me thinking about what Tony thought about the peace sign and the soldier (and yes, I know the fanon about that, and that it has somewhat become canon) and how deeply that moment and Peter's death impacted him. And so this fic was born, while I was trying to boost myself out of writer's block for work. Anyway hope you enjoyed it. :)  
**


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